INNOVATIVE EXPANSIONFounded by philanthropist Alfred I. DuPont in 1936, Nemours
A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children is a nationally ranked pediatric
hospital. When Houston-based healthcare architects FKP were
engaged to master plan and design an expansion, they took
inspiration from the hospital’s location and existing building. The
dramatic exterior features a system of unitized, multi-colored glass
and laminated metal panels with solar shade pipes, made possible
by teamwork with AGI member R.A. Kennedy & Sons, Inc. and
facade consultant Wiss, Janney, Elstner & Associates, Inc.
ARBOR IN A GARDENThe architectural team from FKP uses two nature analogies to
describe their concept for the expansion, which sits among the vast
DuPont gardens. “We saw our project as a hospital in a garden,”
explained FKP Senior Project Designer Paul Asteris, AIA. The
trellis-like glass structure that clads the hospital expansion shelters
patients inside the way an arbor frame strengthens delicate growth.
In contrast to the 1979 building’s rough stone exterior, the dramatic
blue and purple hues of the expansion recall a geode spilling forth
its colorful and wonderful interior. “The expansion explodes with
new architecture that’s a little more fun, playful, and kid-friendly,”
Asteris adds.
ARBOR WALLAccording to Kennedy Senior Project Manager John Hermansen
and Field Superintendent Timothy Petriccione, the distinctive arbor
wall contains 65,000 sf of curtain wall in 432 unitized sections. Most
sections measure 9-by-23 feet tall and weigh 2,000 pounds. Cranes
were used to erect the walls, because of the size and weight and
also to navigate construction components on site - including all
of the fully fabricated patient bathrooms, delivered around the
time the curtain wall was to go up. Erecting the arbor wall went so
smoothly that Kennedy beat its anticipated schedule.
CASE STUDYAGI GlazierR.A. Kennedy & Sons, Inc. | Aston, PA
TeamArchitect: FKP | Houston, TXFacade Consultant: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. | Houston, TXConstruction Manager: Skanska
CompletionOctober 2014
Awards2016 Vision Design Award Healthcare Honorable Mention)2016 SCCM/AACN/AIA ICU Design Citation Honorable Mention2015 Healthcare Design Showcase Award of Merit
NEMOURS ALFRED I. DUPONT HOSPITALFOR CHILDREN | WILMINGTON, DEL.
Colorful glazing and construction creativity brighten kids’ days.
Architectural Glass Institute 2190 Hornig Road Suite 100 Philadelphia, PA 19116 215-825-1422 [email protected]
Photo above © Brad Feinknopf/OTTO
Architectural Glass Institute 2190 Hornig Road Suite 100 Philadelphia, PA 19116 215-825-1422 [email protected]
six-by-six-foot panels and 127 six-by-three-foot panels were
incorporated into the arbor wall. Cristacurva glass was chosen for
its range of colors. The glass was manufactured in Mexico, shipped
to Oldcastle in Texas where the unitized sections were fabricated,
and then trucked to Wilmington for installation by Kennedy. Over
100 truckloads of fabricated materials were installed.
ON THE INSIDEThe interior scope of work was no less complex than the exterior.
The five-story atrium features a 1,000-sf unitized interior curtain wall
of high-end Meltdown artistic glass, Paragon glass floor accents,
and 5,000 sf of glass railings. Patient rooms feature Unicell insulated
windows with integral privacy blinds that can be controlled from
the nurses’ stations. Kennedy also installed over 100 aluminum
and glass ICU doors and 40 exterior operable vent windows with
associated motors for the building’s smoke evacuation system.
FOR THE KIDSNever losing sight of the project’s focus on kids, the construction
team engaged Nemours patients as often as they could. When
bedrock below the soil required blasting, Skanska arranged for
a dynamite plunger to be brought into the hospital. A group of
children took turns pressing the plunger to “set off” the charges
while carefully orchestrated demolition orders were given by walkie-
talkie from the next room. When curtain wall sections were installed
by crane, Kennedy job foreman Mike Maiers stood indoors with kids
and together, they gave crane signals to set the wall. The interaction
and involvement brightened the days of both kids and crews.
COLORFUL COLLABORATIONLed by Design Principal Michael Shirley, AIA, LEED AP, Asteris, and
Senior Project Architect Bob Clark, AIA, the FKP team conceptualized
a five-story patient tower with 192 private rooms – each with a
window to view the surrounding gardens. The plan looks like two
intersecting footballs. A skylit central atrium links the two wings.
Without a single 90-degree angle, the design required plotting
points in space to calculate and detail the glazing. The faceted
exterior curtain wall slopes upward, further complicating the
geometry. According to Hermansen, it was “an incredible design.
We had never seen anything like it.” His team used Trimble Total
Station software to execute the challenging layout and provide
accurate measurements for the field crew.
“We had a lot of collaboration,” said Clark. “Kennedy did a really
outstanding job providing us with the results we were looking for.”
WJE supported the team with design assistance and building
enclosure consulting on both the curtain wall and aluminum panel
systems, including laboratory and on-site air and water infiltration
testing. Associate Principal/Project Manager Dale Fuhr, CDT,
NACC, explained WJE helped develop a sound design with a
focus on the facade’s air and water resistance capabilities, thermal
performance, and long-term sustainability.
MULTI-FACETEDThe triangular pattern of the arbor wall belies the fact that the
unitized sections are rectangular. The diamond grid was achieved
by creatively manipulating components to achieve the desired
appearance. Instead of faceted metal panels, Kennedy worked
with Metal Sales and Service Co. to laminate four-ply aluminum
panels in four shades of gray. The solution reflects sunlight similar
to how facets might, but in a budget and maintenance friendly
flat solution that ensures air and water tightness. In total, 274
Left to right: Unitized
panel installation; arbor
wall detail showing
laminated metal, glass, and solar shade tubes (photos courtesy
R.A. Kennedy & Sons, Inc.); atrium view through glass railing
(image © Brad Feinknopf/OTTO)
